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Freezing Reunion
Five Stars Rena Argo changed skins sometimes, allowing him to slightly modify his appearance and look like someone else. However, at times, he found himself covered in myriads of clothes. Sometimes? No, the sheer ocean around that island had been freezing, the cold night breeze sipped into everyone's bones and would especially affect him. "Brrrr," Argo cursed, surrounded with a large hat, scarf, cloak, jacket, and whatever else. His skin wasn't visible one bit. As a member and Five Star of the Hunting Pirates, Argo had to make sure the crew developed properly, and here they were to get... Another Five Star. "S-So you guys going into that shit, right?" Argo managed to blurt out, looking back on the deck of their ship. "Don't tell me to go." Was another voice, a female one, albeit a lot ruder than Argo's. Kauldran Synthia levitated in the air, comfortably seated with her legs folded over one another. Due to her condition, Synthia could not truly sit down, but it didn't matter. "I'm not even wearing any clothes! I'm only keeping myself warm through Ignis, but I can't do this forever! I'm going to leave soon if the others don't volunteer. Don't blame me for that piss-poor boy's cowardice." "Fuck, I know, I wouldn't blame." If one could see Argo's eyes, they had rolled around. "All this cold is fucking getting to me, my sweat froze down in my ass." Though, she has a point, they had to get into the island somehow. "Hell yeah, finally reached some nice weather." Currently on the deck looking over at the distance as if in search of other ships was Alexander Talos, with long back hair flowing down his back, big piercing black eyes. Current going against what the other had previously complained about he was wearing a log white and blue robe, that gave the impression of being warm while in reality made of lighter material than his regular clothing. "Come on Chilly Rena, no need to get your nose red." Making his way towards Synthia Talos continued. "I may not give to shits about HIM, but at least I can go and make sure the Island is still under our influence." “Could you be any louder?!” A deep voice said from across the boat, seemingly aimed at Talos. An extremely tall man would rise from a seat, uncrossing his legs as he did so, as he would approach the group of pirates his identity as the Five Star, Himeji Makibi would now be apparent. “I have no qualms with going on the island. After, after all, this child must be scolded for his shameful actions under the affiliation of a prestigious group such as ourselves!” Makibi spoke in a deep and stern voice, smacking a metal fan in his hand, further emphasizing on his words "Don't worry Old Man!!" Speaking even louder than before, Talos made his way closer to Makibi. "I will make sure to overpower your voice when you start schooling poor Lars." Now standing in front of the towering man, Talos being a tall man when compared to the average folk, was still small when compared to Maki. "And don't forget you still hold me a proper fight Mr. Stone Fucker." “With age comes wisdom and power, there’s no shame in my game.” Makibi said, a hint of laughter in his words, slightly overpowered by his stern and deep voice. “Also, you lack the strength to partake in a bout against me, so I implore you to watch your tone, young man” Makibi spoke, his tone becoming far more intimidating as he towered high above his comrade. Argo bent his pulse and gestured by pointing his palm downwards, he tilted his head and hissed. "You can fucking fight while inside the island," His eyes set upon Makibi, then over Talos, "Whoever disciplines him doesn't matter, it matters he's brought here-" Argo stopped for a second, bringing his aforementioned palm up to cup his clothed chin. "Wait no, I'll just shoot you guys there," Argo shrugged, approaching them. "Let's fucking go, how do you want it?" “There’s no need for that, I’m more than capable of getting there myself.” Makibi said, moving away from Argo and standing to the edge of the ship. He would then begin to squat down ever so slightly, it seemed that he was going to jump to the island, and that he would do. Makibi would launch himself from the deck of the ship, shaking the waterborne vessel as he soared through the air, still keeping his composure as he rocketed through the air and onto the island, landing with a loud slam, though minimal damage to the ground where he now stood. "Lack the strength?" To most people, the words spoke by Makibi would not only be devastating but induce fear to those that even dare compare themselves to the towering man. But Talos, with an enormous grin on his face, it was as if those exact words were making him more excited to try his fists on Maki's castle. But his thoughts of excitement we're cut short once Argo got full of their shits. "Ah, yes I would like a one way ticked, Rena. Unlike that idiot, I don't feel like angering miss Synthia by shaking the ship." "OI, YOU CASTLE IDIOT, GET BACK HERE AND APOLOGIZE FOR MY SHIP!!!" Synthia screamed towards the launched Makibi, as the shaking began to affect her as well. "Tch. Shut up, ship!" With merely the projection of her voice, the ship's shaking immediately stopped in its tracks and began to become calm once more. "Ugh, at least one of you men know not to piss me off." Synthia sighed as she took her 'seat' in the sky once more. "Right then. Now that we're alone, Argo...should we get back to breaking more fingers for interrogations?" "Of course, Syn! But before that..." Argo's attention landed over Talos, he stretched his left arm out. Under a breath's moment, it darkened up until it was purple and expanded slightly, sharp teeth and a pair of eyes surfaced on where the hand once stood, a thin tongue slipped past those teeth. A hiss came from it. "Let's get Talos there." The arm stretched out until it was by Talos' vicinity, surely he would see what it really was, this what coughed out saliva and opened its mouth widely. A clawed hand came out of it instantly, twitching and moving its fingers. Boom, much of the air was pushed aside once the stretched arm grew out even more, this time its muscles were more noticeable and budged out, with the curve of the elbow and wrists there. Waves circulated from below the ship, after all the entire arm was several times Argo's mass, but he himself stood normally in place. Teeth surrounded the wrist of the aforementioned hand, remaining there without any harm, then, it used its fingers to try and grab Talos by his clothes. Since Talos was already willing, Argo's enormous arm would simple and easily carry him from over the ship's deck and into the island itself, rapidly stretching out to reach it. Reaching the island as mentioned earlier thanks to Argo's assistance, Talos just staid still for a couple of seconds after being released from the weird arm thing that juts happen. "Sigh, Hey Rena!" Rapidly turning around to face the ship, Talos utilizing all the air on his lungs screamed. "This was boring, next time throw me on the island!" Feeling proud of himself for speaking loud towards Argo, Talos immediately regretted his decision. "Oh, no." Feeling a tingle on the back of his head, he once again turned around and ran towards the nearest trees, hoping to use them as protection in case the "Storm" decided to school him. “Took you long enough, let us get a move on, we have business to attend too!” Maki scolded Talos, having waited there for his arrival. He would then turn his back to his odd companion, looking at the island before him, devising a plan of action as to which way they will take to enter the island and find what’s secluded within it. Makibi would then take off into the island, assuming Talos would follow behind him. "Calm down with your schoolings old man." Making his way towards Makibi, while occasionally looking towards the ship, Talos hands behind his head begins casually following Makibi. "More then anyone you should know that I won't listen to anything you say before you manage to defeat me." Eyes suddenly bursting wide open, they were now half their size and slightly glowing red, showing his great control and mastery over one of nature's natural powers, Kenbunshoku. Quickly moving his eyes in every direction possible, Talos began mentally analyzing all the presences within the island. "But either way, what's the deal with the kid, Lars was it?" "They're finally on their way." Synthia sighed, as she stood up and began to float towards her next destination. "That Lars kid was always a weird one, even when Captain was around. I have no idea what's up with him anyways, though he does have the Captain's surname..." Synthia turned around to face the island once more, before she dashed over to Argo within her levitation, and stared directly into the Beast's eyes. "Oi, Argo-kun, do you know why Lars has the Captain's surname?!" To a normal, heterosexual male, being so close to Synthia would be unnerving, considering the lack of clothes she wore. However, the relationship between Argo and herself was completely platonic. Not to mention, both of them were unable to rouse romantic feelings, meaning any form of intimacy was purely accidental. Argo frowned. "They're fucking noisy, that's what they are," He looked out at the island, retreating his arm to a normal state and donning his clothes over it once again. Once clothed, his fingers and palm stretched out, Argo tilted his head and cracked his neck. "You want to know huh... Well, at least you're a good listener." Leaning back against the edge of the deck, Argo let his mind wander elsewhere, through times past, long ago, almost two decades even. Argo, as a young adult, was faced with a much younger boy in this memory. "That kid... Vryrch Lars, he fell and got reborn-" He dropped his gaze and met Synthia's, "Because-" ---- "H-hello..." a child's voice could barely be heard throughout the ship. His figure, or even his looks was unknown by the members of the Hunting Pirates, as he hid behind the towering figure of another. A woman, and he clasped her leg tightly as he quickly glanced at the many pirates present. "Setotototototo!!" That very woman allowed her laughter to echo over the ship, the kid incredibly tiny when compared to her humonguous figure. Still, it seemed her size didn't make him retreat. "Say hello, y'all lads!" Vryrch Seth, a woman that held the Lozenge position of the Hunting Pirates, gestured for her crewmates. A fearsome pirate, Seth harbored a bounty greater than 260,000,000. Light shone upon her hold features and blue clothes, "I've found this young lad here in that last trip-" "Again, mom?!" An old man called out at Seth, his voice rough and figure large, his beard sprouted as a small spike at his chin. "Ya' adoptin' quite a lota' kids, even more than before!!" Slowly, the boy revealed himself, now standing next to Seth. He gulped loudly as sweat dripped down his temples intensely. His legs shivered intensely as most, if not all eyes were set on him. "Lars." he said quickly, pointing at himself. His eyes dashed around to avoid any possible contact with others. "...I wouldliketoworkwithallofyou." it wouldn't be unnatural to assume that half the crew didn't understand a word the boy said, but he bowed down, and quickly hid behind Seth once more. "SEEETOTOTOTOTOTO! Yo' so cute, Lars," Seth beamed at the boy, closing her eyes and letting a full smile overtake her expression. She crossed her arms, while the rest of the members each introduced themselves towards Lars. "Yo," the old man from before waved, his teeth flashed as he bent his knees, lowering himself barely to Lars' height. "Name's Willahelm Bill, don't trip kiddo." Bill said normally, having easily understood the mumbled words of Lars, after all, that was a basic skill to his Haki. Legs smiled as she looked down at him. "Awhh!!! He's so adorable! Right, Amaka?! Right!?" "Heh, a little bit." Amaka replied, looking at the young boy. Strong Rico walked up behind the boy giving him a hardy slap to his back. “Don’t scare him off now y’all, especially you Legs” Rico said in a deep voice, laughing stoically before addressing the boy. “The name’s Rico, nice to meet ya kid!” Rico said, his deep voice holding enough force to scare anyone shitless Silvenya used her ability, to shrink herself from her massive stature. Her demeanor was kind, she smiled to the child as if it were her own. "Hey, Lars-kun, whenever you're old enough, let's drink together!" She got closer to the boy, whispering, but still loud enough so that everyone heard her. "I can teach you a thing or two as well, so you'll be strong! Don't go to these old coots, they don't know the meaning of the word "restraint". She said as she kindly patted his head. "Hmm," a stocky, bald monk looked at the nervous boy. "It sure seems like we're picking up a lot of these kids lately, don't you think?" A green haired individual pushed up his falling glasses. "There certainly has been an influx of children on this ship. There's even been one following you around, Daikaku-san." "Hahaha, I guess that's right, isn't it Quin?" He then turned to Lars. "Good luck, kid. It can get rough on these seas." "I-" one person approached, "I-" then another, and another, until his vision was filled with nothing but towering men and women. He felt hands slapping him in the back, and several voices but it was more than the boy could handle. He felt his vision begin to blur, and the raw smell of the sea assailed his nostrils causing him to fall to the ground, his head hitting the hard wood floor. White Out That smile. That warm smile that kept him warm all throughout 15 years still flashed on his mind. It was partially the reason why Lars had been able to remain in Whiteout for so long. Well, that and his body had eventually grown accustomed to the weather. "Why did you have to leave me...jeez, you're so selfish." he said to himself, his voice echoing throughout the cave as he clasped two rocks against each other. The cold began to seep through his robes, and although he was unable to gain any sickness from it, it was still a rather uncomfortable feeling. Desperately, he clashed them together time, after time, until...thud. "AHHH" he screamed, reflexively dropping the rocks to the ground. He shook his right hand intensely before holding his injured pinky. A tear fell from his eyes, as he blew on it, much like a child would. "Who am I kidding? I can't even light a fire. It's been twen-" he stopped himself, as he scratched his chin through his mask. "Twenty...no thirty years?" Lars then came to the sudden realization that he had no idea how long it had been. Hell, he wasn't even sure if it was night or day at this point. "Whatever." he laid on his side, feeling the cold, stone floor. Lars slowly closed his eyes as he attempted to fall asleep. Images of his comrades flashing his mind, as he went into deep slumber. Two specific figures filled his mental visage. One of them was gigantic, and they seemed oddly familiar. Suddenly, his eyes opened, and he shot his legs upwards, standing up as he did so. "They're here." he said, and within an instant, Lars left. A flicker of light signaling his disappearance. As Maki entered the deeper parts of the island, his senses would trigger a bit, indication they were not alone, however it was clear whatever it was, they were trying to conceal their presence, though not well enough. “Do you sense that, Talos?” Maki uttered to his comerade in a hushed tone, his lock on the presence going in and out as he began to hone into it using his Kenbunshoku Haki. "The fuck you talking about." Replying in a hushed tone in order to match and somewhat mock his "partner" Talos with his Haki still active began searching even further. But once again nothing seemed to catch his attention. "I think you are going senile, old man." Slowly taking in a deep breath, Talos began to slightly change, as small green scales started to form on his forehead and around his eyes. It would appear that even when refusing to agree with Maki, Talos more then anyone knew how accurate his Kenbunshoku was. "Sigh" Letting out all of the air on his lungs, Talos muscles suddenly clenched. And as they did, soo did the air itself surrounding him and Maki. This technique was something he learned several years ago, by expanding all of his senses to a more restricted space, they would be greatly enhanced, turning the space around Talos and Maki a death zone for anyone that dared get close. “Seems like our scared child is approaching us, he’s gotten rusty on this island all alone, I can read him easily, he needs a long lesson on haki when we take him back!” Maki said to Talos, looking around him, acknowledging the veil of protection surrounding them, still walking deeper into the island, awaiting their targets next move. As the figure approached the duo, Maki would be able to sense a presence getting closer with every step. It was quiet, nigh inaudible in its movements. But of course, the giant was not relying on his senses to guide him, as no sight, smell or sound could reveal the approaching “shadow” to him. It would’ve been easy to notice as it got closer, as its undeniable killing intent grew stronger. The trees shuffled ever so slightly, and from it, someone or something emerged from it. It didn’t raise snow, or make a single sound as their foot made contact with the ground. Having hopefully gained their attention, from the slight noise the tree made, the figure, cloaked completely stared at Maki and Talos menacingly, flickers of blue hair stuck out from its bandana. As if awaiting for something to happen. "Sigh, so much for making me warm up." Relaxing his body, it felt as if the air itself around them, had gotten lighter. Letting out a small shockwave across the ground it was obvious that Talos had dropped his previous technique. "Soo, it looks like Captain's little baby is all grown up." Eyes and forehead still covered in the aforementioned scales, Talos was showing signs of doubt, as he even though he wasn't able to sense anyone he still hopes to fight someone. “Prepare yourself, Talos, you may get your fight sooner than you predicted.” Maki spoke, glaring at the group of trees as the boy revealed himself. His glare would pierce the boy where he stood, clearly alerting him that he was everything but hidden from the sights of Makibi. The figure walked forward, slowly, at first. Once again, it made no sounds as it moved forward. It stared down at Maki, approaching him directly. Without losing the cadence of its steps, the figure disappeared suddenly. There was no warning behind its disappearance, until not even a fraction of a second later, the cloaked person appeared in front of Maki, with their arm cocked back. It brought its arm forward, which appeared as a blur, though if one were to look closely, they might’ve noticed that he was aiming a single finger at the man’s chest. Maki didn’t budge an inch as the figure closely approached him, not even lifting a finger to combat the boy’s punch, he would simply stand there, his hands tucked in each sleeve. As the figures arm would extend closer and closer into Maki’s space, a pink ripple would appear in the air around him as the boy’s fist would disappear, more and more of his arm vanishing. Upon closer inspection it would become clear that as the fist moved forward it was shrinking into the space around Maki, making his attack to small to hit the man. Maki stood looking down at the man less than half his size, his deadly glare still present. “You’re gonna need some immense scolding after attacking me, young man!” Maki said in a deep and ground shaking voice, surely alerting Talos to the attacker if he wasn’t already aware. Initially staying stationed after the figure made its appearance, Talos now with his face radiating with excitement stared at the cloaked figure. "WHY WAIT." Violently replying to Maki's statement, Talos entire body began emanating a deep green aura in response to his sudden increase in energy. "I have been waiting for this." The ground started to shake more and more with every single word that left his mouth. "IT'S TIME TO SEE IF THE KID GOT WHAT IT TAKES!" Even though Talos and Maki had walked a significant distance away from the boat, Talos's sudden explosion of excitement would most definitely not go unnoticed by those that stayed behind. And this course of action being a result of his insane bloodlust and thirst for battle, Talos would only later realize the mistake he made in causing such distortion when near the "Hunter". Talos’ scream resonated through the entire island, and perhaps even reached the ears of Argo and Synthia. The ground shook as if it had been affected by an earthquake and the water surrounding the island reverberated. "Talos. That is definitely…Talos.” a quiet, raspy voice could be heard coming behind Maki and Talos. The voice came from Vryrch Lars. He sat on a boulder, cross-legged with minimum effort, his appearance was just like the figure’s from before. “And you. You must be Makibi-san." he said weakly, nodding to himself. Poof a cloud of smoke signalized the disappearance of the cloaked figure that had attacked Makibi. In truth, Lars had sent a clone through the powers of Ninjutsu and combined it with his Kenbunshoku Haki to throw off the pair. Somehow, he, himself had remained invisible the entire time. " You got big." His eyes scanned the Giant. "Bigger. What brings you here?" He said, without even waiting for them to react. "KID." Heavily breathing, veins popping out all over his arms, everything on Talos body was screaming bloodthirst. Rapidly snaping his attention towards the "real" Lars location. "So kid, you want to go the easy way or the fun way?" Slowly moving towards Lars, and raising his arms ever so slightly Talos completely ignored any thought of this coming back to bite him later. "Busoshoku" As a burning black aura began enveloping his entire arms up until his shoulders. "Cuz personally, I prefer the second one." Maki turned around as the clone dissipated, almost as though he knew it was a fake the entire time, unfazed by the boys tricks. “It’s time to show our boy here a real scolding!” Maki spoke loudly as he pulled his arms from his sleeves, revealing a large beautifully decorated fan. He looked over to Talos and raised his eyebrow before following suit and coating the fan in a veil of black, though, staying exactly where he stood, glaring at Lars just the same Lars sighed to himself underneath his mask. What’s to be expected. I chose to be invisible after all. His annoyance was not at the fact that the two figures would immediately want to resort to fighting, although that was a minor inconvenience. It was the fact that they completely ignored his question. Completely unfazed by their showing of Busoshoku Haki, or freakish height, Lars put both of his arms up and shook them, motioning them to stop. "C-can’t we talk about this first? I don’t know what you’re doing here." He scratched the side of his face through his mask as he looked down at his feet. He could feel their stares as they approached him, and he was unable to maintain even the slightest bit of eye contact with them. "What about, we do it like real man?" Smashing his Busoshoku covered fists together, Talos with the biggest smirk on his face kept moving forwards. "And talk with our fists." As his eyes kept glowing with intense bloodlust, several thoughts began to appear inside Talos's head. And for some reason, all of them involved Synthia "schooling" him for his loud voice and random screams when they were younger. Ignoring those, for the time being, he was pretty sure nothing bad was gonna come out of playing with Lars as a welcome party. "..." Lars stared at Talos as he got closer. Despite the fact that the emotion, bloodlust, and hunger for battle could be seen in his eyes, in contrast, Lars' own showed nothing. No surprise, no anger, they were just...there. Looking down at the floor as if disappointed. "The years have harmed your hearing..." he said, as sweat fell down his temples. Truly, he did not want to fight, at least not yet, not without a reason. He had questions, and no answers. Perhaps if he beat some sense into them, he could get them? "Troublesome. Forgive me for this." his voice was muffled under his mask and it was followed by an audible sigh as he reached inside his coat with both arms. It was an almost unnoticeable motion, and it was succeeded by a swift flick of his wrists forward. As Talos smashed his fists together, a number of shuriken travelled through the air at immense speeds. They were nearly invisible to the naked eye, and while some of them went straight for Talos, aimed at his torso, legs and arms, there were others that cut through the nearby trees, causing them to shake vigorously as they fell towards Talos' location. All of this happened within the same time frame, forcing the man to react to the attacks simultaneously. Of course, Lars knew that this wouldn't be enough to hurt the Perfect Army, but it would gain him enough time to ask once more. "Please tell me why you are here?" he said out loud, hoping Maki would respond before Talos reacted. Veins bulging out on his face Talos letting out a massive breath he locked eyes with Lars. "Good to see you agree." As the shurikens would come his way, he didn't even flinch letting them, attempt to strike his body. As they reached his skin the blades weren't even able to pierce him, leaving nothing but small stab marks. "I really hope you have bigger weapons for that." "Macrochelys, Tides of the Sea" Arms shaking, muscles bulging out, as Talos screamed out those words both his arms shift. As massive dark green scales began covering the entirety of both his arm and forearm and instantly turning black thanks to his Buso. Suddenly disappearing for a fraction of a second, Talos appeared right in front of Lars, right arm pulled back he began the motion of swinging. "Kame no Kaimetsu!!" Moving faster and faster Talos's fist began heating up as if the natural hydration of his fruit was being instantly burnt by his insane body heat. As the fist would reach its climax, Lars would be met by what looks like a normal smoking fist. “Can’t have a student outshowing a master now can I?” Maki spoke, a small grin taking place on his am face as he extended he fan, fanning his face as he watch Talos assault the rogue star, watching diligently, waiting for his moment to strike. That’s to be expected, I guess… Sighing deeply, Lars watched as Talos determinedly locked eyes with him, which frankly worried Lars more than the transformation or the attack that followed. In less time than most people could register Lars’ visage would be met with the appearance of the 7 foot tall man, covered by the black-greenish scales provided by his Devil Fruit as well as his fist inching closer upon him. He felt its heat getting hotter and hotter as it got closer, and the smell of smoke assailed his nose, aiming to disorient him enough for Talos to get a clean hit. However, he did not fret. He appeared completely relaxed at the sight of the smoking punch. Without even thinking about it, Lars reflexively moved out of the attack’s path. He disappeared and reappeared at speeds even faster than those skilled in the arts of Soru, leaving an afterimage to take his place. His cloak billowed in the wind, and the few strands of hair that protruded from his mask too, as he took position behind Talos. Talos’ punch exploded upon contact with the "afterimage" and all that could be seen in that direction was destroyed. For miles upon miles, the earth was burnt and barren of the snow that covered its surface, and it cracked under the pressure of such a move. The little wood that remained on the attack’s path was burnt to ashes, and the loud explosion that the punch created rung loudly through the ears of even those that found themselves outside the island. It was almost as if all, earth, air and water, submitted to the might of the "Perfect Army". "W-was that necessary…?" Lars asked. Out of the corner of his eye, he examined Maki, wondering what moves the man would pull. Smiling more and more, Talos was having the rush he wanted for weeks. "YES. Keep dodging, push this to the limit." Loudly thinking to himself he slowly allowed his body to continued its movement after the last attack. "But now Kid." Feet reaching the ground, Talos swiftly shift his position to now be facing Lars once again. "Can you dodge what gives you life?" Feet planted, slightly bend standing around a foot apart. His legs slowly began to tremble moving up his body until it reached the tips of his fingers. Right arm on a 90-degree angle, it moved backward until his clenched fist stood aligne with his torso, while his left arm stayed horizontally in front of his chest. "inhale" Taking in a large substance of air for a couple of seconds, the entirety of Talos's body shake and visually swole for a moment. "Let's see how fast you can move Cry Boy!" Utilizing all of the force gathered on his body for the last couple of seconds of concentration, Talos with slightly slower movements than before, almost as if he was acknowledging his opponent. But nonetheless, as his body reached its apex it would appear as if Talos was simply punching the air almost as if not even trying to reach Lars. "Fish-Man Karate: Kamegawara Seiken" As those words resonated throughout the air around them, it would appear as if time had stopped and out of nowhere speed up. As all-around Lars thousands if not millions of water particles began to rush at unmeasurable speed towards him and everything that stood around. But only a couple of seconds later, after the water began to make its way towards Talos target. "Crack" As his fist rest there, unmoving it was almost as if the air itself had broke as a response to his strength and haki. And currently moving directly towards Lars location as a result of such impact, an explosive rush of air imbued with particles of his Haki made its way, breaking the ground itself as it pushed through. "What gives me life…? Seth is gone." He murmured more to himself than to Talos as the man begun his attack. Talos’ fist would bring Lars back to reality, as if to stop his pondering, a deafening sound, akin to a machine gun reverberating against a variety of objects made its way to Lars’ ears. For the first time, his small, almond shaped eyes, widened slightly and he was forced to focus in the present. Tightening his fists and closing his eyes, the almost microscopic water particles that approached him at unmeasurable speeds suddenly seemed…measurable. Not only that, their path had become predictable. He could distinguish the ones that would converge upon his location, and the ones that would strike the objects, away or near him. He separated the useful information from the useless. He focused harder, only on the particles that were to hit him. They became less, what appeared to be millions narrowed down to a smaller amount. The world around him lost its color, except for the set group of bullets that aimed to pierce through him. Then he saw it. The path that would make the impossible, possible. While most people would’ve blocked the attack, or released a single attack to destroy them all, against a man like Talos that was hardly an option. Instead, Lars aimed to handle each attack. Each tiny water particle by its lonesome, and even if it seemed impossible he would attempt it. Abruptly, he opened his eyes, a gust of wind mystically following as he did so. His body’s slight glow grew more intense, to the point where it was noticeable even through his clothes. It was the power of his Light ACE that made his transformation noticeable, a fruit he had consumed right after disappearing from the world. And a fruit that would allow him to address the attack. He began with a single punch, directed at a single water particle. And then a kick, and he continued to alternate between his Haki-enhanced limbs, one after the other, with scary precision, each time breaking apart one or several water pellet. There was no moment where he stopped moving, as it was all in one continuous motion. This would all happen at insane speeds, speeds that would be near impossible to see. So to the duo, it would appear that without even moving a single body part, Lars had handled Talos’ initial attacks. As soon as Lars was done with the first attack, a powerful gust of wind, imbued in Talos’ Haki followed. Like a lion hunting its pray, it travelled towards Lars with ferocity, dismantling everything that stood in its path. Utilizing the momentum and energy generated from his previous movements, Lars raised his heel and slammed it on the floor. It was a single kick with the force of 100, and this was made evident by how Lars was able to generate his own shockwave, imbued with his Haki, that expanded itself in front of him, and clashed with Talos’ own, causing the wind to dispel in every possible direction, sending debris, trees and large quantities of snow to fly away from the island itself. However, of course, Lars wouldn’t let it end there. If he let Talos continue rampage, he would probably destroy the entirety of the place he had called home for the last 15 years, and that was something he couldn’t allow. "Forgive me. Seth, Talos." he thought to himself as he made his move. Following the clash of waves, Lars disappeared from sight, a flicker of light announcing his leave, before instantaneously, he reappeared in front of Talos, with his right leg outstretched, as he spun in the air, and aimed a roundhouse kick at the man’s torso. While the speed of the kick was imperceptible, and was the main quality of the attack, its strength was also noticeable, as it caused the air to groan in repercussion. This wasn’t the end of his attack, as were Talos to counter the kick, Lars would follow up with another strike. Were his feet to touch the ground, he would thrust his right hand forward with precision, in an attempt to pierce the man. However, midway into the motion, his entire arm would glow in a bright light, and that single thrust, would be multiplied a hundred fold. As almost simultaneously, Lars would deliver an endless barrage of thrusts from a single hand, each attack proving to cause sizable damage. "Yes." Watching as every single one of his attacks was soo easly handled, Talos eyes wide open, a smile stretching so far out it looked like it was about to rip his cheeks open. "Bring more-" Suddenly head burning hot, hundreds of images just began to flick through his mind as veins were poping and showing signs of pain. "Why now!" As these events began to happen, Lars was able to swiftly break through the second wave and now stood, mere inches from Talos aiming to take the position of the attacker for the time being. Out of nowhere not only matching but even surpassing the speed of Lars attack Talos stretched out his left arm still covered in Haki and with a titan strength grip stopped the legs during its motion. As the former was stopped so suddenly, in a similar way as Talos initial assault a part of the forest that directly stood next to him imeadetly disappeared, even though not as impactful as Talos' it still did noticeable damage but for some reason not to the one aimed at. Almost as if ignoring the second assault directed towards him, Talos right hand placed onto his head he just began to mutter some words as the endless barrage from Lars kept collapsing against his chest. "No, that is way too strong... no no how can you say that... maybe he can take it..." For the next couple of minutes, constantly being hit by Lars but still standing unmoved with his grip still locking his target, Talos kept arguing with himself without consistency until. "Sigh" Right hand being brought down slowly and without a single word being spoken Talos' arm scales just suddenly disappear leaving it bare with a slight coat of Haki. "Bogyo" Darkening ever so slightly, almost invisible to the eyes of those unused to it his arm was now slightly harder. "Good news Lars." Now to the surprise of his opponent, for the first time since the beginning of this battle, Talos was not wearing his ear to ear smile but instead a calm focus one. "We agreed that you deserve a little more consideration." "Kame" Letting go of Lars' leg for a brief moment, he very swiftly moved his fists until they smashed together creating a massive crackling sound. "Hadou" As those last words left his mouth, waives of vibration began to spawn from his arms. And out of them a massive shockwave erupted clashing against Lars, Maki, and everything that stood within a 20-foot range around him. "Y-you alrig-" the loud sound of Talos' fists clacking against each other stopped him from finishing his question, as he released a shockwave at point-blank range. Lars could feel his entire body vibrating as a warning, before the attack was thrown, in every possible direction, even Maki's. Maki will be alright he thought, as his body became light and he disappeared from sight. In an instant, he reached the ends of the island, and Lars could briefly make out the Huntings' ship, as well as several other vessels heading towards them, or at least that's what it appeared like. As the shockwave tore through everything that was in its path, even from a distance Lars could feel how it made the island tremble, but didn't give it much thought. Instead, he squinted his eyes, trying to catch a glance at the rest of the Hunting Pirates that were there. "Looks dangerous..." he told himself, as he then remembered, he had business to get back to. Raising his arms so that they were at shoulder-height, Lars opened his palms, as many constructs of light began to form around him. Massive kunais, shrurikens and katanas formed all around him, until they covered the entirety of the island's borders. They remained there, as if waiting for Lars to command them. Turning his hands into fists, the light constructs, one by one, took on a black shade, formed by Lars' spirit energy. The Busoshoku would harden the already powerful weapons of light, increasing its original durability. He flicked his wrists forward, releasing the attack. When he was just done with this motion, all the weapons had converged upon the location of Talos at speeds that even those skilled in Kenbunshoku wouldn't be able to dodge. Not only that, but even the attacks that didn't hit his figure would reflect upon any surface and come back to strike at him, or Maki, once more. “Goddamnit Talos, you little shit, I was having a lot of fun simply watching, if I were to join the fray the battle would end rather quickly and with far to much destruction, this is still one of our territories of course!” Maki yelled to Talos as the man clashes his fists together sending a large shockwave in his direction. Maki’s body would begin to be coated in a dark sheen, a layer of Busoshoku covering his entire body as the shockwave grew closer and closer. As the shockwave met with his body it would ripple through the pink veil around him, the power and visibility of the wall shrinking as it slammed against the giant mans body with little to no effect. Maki would simply brush himself off, once again expanding his fan and fanning himself off as he glared at Talos. “Jesus, now this too!” Maki said in dismay as he watched Lars bombard the pair with weapons made of light and coated in Busoshoku Haki. “I should play this one a bit safer, who knows how strong he’s gotten since being here.” Maki whispered to himself as he quickly shut his fan and lowered he arm to him side. Maki once again went into a squared position before charging into the air, leaving a crater below where he stood, causing tremors in his wake as he instantly appeared in the sky above, getting out of the direct radius of Lars’ attacks, watching the two from high in the air as he would begin to slowly descend to the ground. “Well, I see Argo and Synthia are doing well!” Maki spoke aloud to himself, watching as a fight unfolded at the shore of the island. Left alone after his shockwave, Talos just stood there unmoving, waiting. "Let's see what tricks Lars has up his sleeve. Ken." Eyes shimmering green for an instant, everything that stood within and at the edge of the island was immediately mapped down onto Talos' mind, as hundreds if not thousands of various precedences were directly aiming towards his location. "I guess this island holds more secrets than I anticipated. "Inhale, Kame" Taking in a very deep and long breath Talos' arms just suddenly exploded and once again they were completely covered by dozens of dark green scales that this time went all the way up to his shoulder. Begining to move his arms on a very unrhythmic way something odd began to happen, as his right arm with an open hand gently waved around the water on the atmosphere surrounding him slowly gathered around Talos' body. And as his left arm fist clenched violently swung the ground itself shook and vibrations started to gather all around him. "Koura" Slamming his open hand and closed fist together, suddenly on a 10 feet radius surrounding him a dense, black and green sphere made of water constantly rippling thanks to the vibration that stood under him. "Give me everything you got kid." Screaming as the numerous blades reach close and are about to clash with the water barrier, it suddenly flashed and the entirety of this protection became fused with the powerfull Haki of this man. And as each and every single weapon clashed against it, not a single scratch could be seen as the unmovable Talos stood in the center waiting for the end of the barrage. Sighing to himself, Lars muffled words could barely be heard over his mask. "Talos-san, why would I give everything here?" he said as his eyes dropped, as if he had missed sleep for the past 15 years. Raising his hand to shoulder-level, he opened his palm, which stopped the endless barrage of light swords. Truthfully, Lars could've kept going, due to the sunlight that supplied him, his constructs were hard to get rid of, and eventually the barrier would crack. But why go through that hassle?" He walked slowly, towards Talos, and as he did, he hoped Maki could hear him speak. "Stop this nonsense, please? Why are you here, guys?" Perfect Justice Near the Island of Whiteout, several ships found themselves sailing through the ocean. The logo of the Marines could be seen in their sails, with the blue words imprinted on them. Each of them had multiple cannons at their sides, and they were steadily approaching the outskirts of Whiteout, the island, as well as a nearby ship now revealing themselves to their eyes. The planks of wood creaked under the rapid movement of the many Marine soldiers that were handling the ships. They had little time to prepare, and to be honest, most of them were worried. They were heading to the island due to the spotting of a rumored pirate group. A group that could lead to the world’s demise. "Oi, Eulogio, look we’ve made it!" Keran Elena declared loudly. She tapped the older Marine’s shoulder incessantly. "How strong do ya think they are?" she asked, a large grin on her face. While most of her subordinates, were worried, the woman showed nothing but poor excitement, reminiscent to that of the late Pirate King. Laying down, the tap on his shoulder instantly brought the man's attention onto Elena's face. That blissful face of youth could only bring a broad smile onto his face. "Chahaha! Looks like you're rearin to go lass! That's what I like to see." He egged her on, a moment of laughter would do the body good. Eulogio fully moved his body so he would be facing Keran directly, standing to his full fight as he was brought into the moment, however his height far exceeded her own. In fact, he quite literally towered over her. However, what would one expect? He was quite massive, exceeding even the largest of humans, but he hadn't reached the glorified height of a giant. "This crew, the Hunting Pirates, has been around for quite some time. And it's birthed quite a number of monsters in it's life time. Not only has Daddy L. Legs-" An image of the woman flashed passed the man's head, having remembered his encounter with her not too long ago, "and Daikaku reigned as the Five Stars of this crew before, but so too has my old friend Willahelm Bill. I can only imagine that this generation of Five Stars hold similar power." Eulogio took a moment to allow that information to process for the young lady, carrying on soon after. "The one known as Argo the Virulence in particular succeeds Legs in the title of the 'Perfect Beast'. She reigns as the strongest Yonko, so I'd imagine for this boy Argo to succeed her likely means he's a pretty strong one too. I'd wager if anything, he's the strongest amongst the crew as a whole." Eulogio stared straight ahead, his smile still failed to give way even with the threat he'd been presented with. "Sooo Elena Cabana, doesn't this just send shivers down your spine?" Eulogio spoke, interested in the woman's take on the situation. Belvedere Chardonnay seemed to just materialize on Eulogio's shoulder in a swirl of liquid, bringing with her the sickly sweet smell of some fruity cocktail "Beautiful day for a battle, right boyo?" She referred to the man, speaking near his ear so as to announce her presences. She jumped down, alcohol swirling around her and slowing her descent. She touched down on the deck softly, right next to Elena. Both of them were taller than her, by a good deal in Eulogio's case, but she didn't really pay much attention to the fact "It's funny. We're hunting Hunting Pirates. Gabababa!" "And even funnier" She caught her breath in order to continue "That's already another crew! If we were going after them we'd be hunting Hunting Hunter Pirates. Gababababababa!" She reigned in her laughter after a moment, wiping tears from the corners of her eyes "Sorry, that's been cracking me up this whole ride!" A shadow seemed to appear beside the three, looming over them as it walked by. "It'll definitely be an interesting day to say the least." Spoke Valentine, placing a gloved hand on the rail of the ship and pressing his back to it as he looked at the three. "I'm gonna have some wine before we get this show on the road. If any of you would like some, let me know." From his coat he produced a bottle of red wine, popping the cork and pouring it gingerly into a glass. He pushed the brim of his large hat up as he downed the glass in one sip, pouring himself another. ---- "Synthia," Argo called suddenly at his crewmate, his eyes flaring red as he glared at the horizon around the island. "Were we too... flashy when we were sailing?" Quite some silhouettes appeared in the distance, he walked over to the edge of their ship's deck. "If we were, then blame those two idiots." Synthia sighed, as she floated behind Argo and noticed what he was talking about. "Or was it the fact that you punched one of them away from here?" Synthia grunted, but became moderately serious. "Either way, we have to be careful. Let's go." ---- As the Marines and the ship of the Hunting Pirates identified each other, getting within a close distance, the Marines decided to make the first move. All the hurriedness from before was not for nothing, as many low-ranking marines, prepped cannonballs into their respective cannons as they awaited for a signal to begin their onslaught. "Everyone!, let's get this show on the road!" Elena's voice boomed throughout the entirety of the ship, as several cannonballs were fired towards the ship. Despite not being enhanced by Haki, they still carried tremendous strength, and under normal circumstances, would more than likely cause sizable damage to their vessel. Chardonnay set her glass of wine down on a crate, though after a second of thought she picked it up and downed the contents before returning it to the spot "Whoo! Party!" Chardonnay was more than a little bit tipsy. It hadn't been her first glass, after all. She'd probably had two or four...bottles. Chardonnay fell into a fit of giggles as she shuffled over to a cannon. She let the subordinate marines aim the thing and light the fuse, then she climbed onto the barrel "Gabababa! See you on the other side!" When the cannonball fired, she moved swiftly in a whirl of alcohol. She balanced on a single foot on the cannonball, letting it carry her forward towards the enemy ship. "Wheeeeeeeee!!" Not that she was taking it seriously. "Go get em you drunk!" Valentine cheered, dropping his own finished bottle to the deck of the ship. He held his hand to the side as a black staff formed in his hand. He held it above his head like a javelin, taking aim at the ship. "Fast like lightning, burn like fire." The staff warped in his hand, haki taking on the nature of the elements themselves. The staff a crackling bolt, licks of flame blossoming from the pointed tip. He thrust his hand forwards, mustering his demonic strength as the spear shot across the sea, outpacing the cannon balls as it aimed to pierce the hull of the ship. If all went well the interior of the ship would be set aflame. Chardonnay and Valentine went in full force, showing the tenacity and power all Vice Admirals should hold. After all, Eulogio knew more than anyone that a drunk Chardonnay and a half-buzzed demon would push anyone beyond their limit. But there reigned two presences on that ship, their power could demolish entire nations if they desired. It was only by the luck of those citizens, and lack of interest of these two individuals that their homes remained. Eulogio closed his eyes and shrunk his colossus size, resting at the ten foot height he usually took when in public areas or battles that otherwise didn't require his full strength or would leave him at a disadvantage. And this was seemingly the former. He shot open his eyes with a haste, a glint of red blitzed by his eye as he did so, there one second but gone the next. "Argo, boy, you there?! Chahaha! It's been quite some time hasn't it. Tell me, how's the old hag? She still kickin?" Eulogio spoke, he held back for now, instead waiting to see how his opponents would react to the attacks of his colleagues. Alcohol and Haki reeked the atmosphere and bothered Synthia greatly. That said, her ship was designed for combat situations like these and she smirked at the pathetic attempts the Vice Admirals made to overwhelm her. "Rise, Terranean, into an impenetrable shield!" The ship, which on the distance appeared to be made with metallic materials, had its exterior coating broken off at Synthia's words. It was the power of her Siren that made the ship react to her voice. The sea began to rumble at the movement of the ship, as from a classical boat, the ship began to compress almost instantly, deforming to the extent that, in almost a heartbeat, it became a sphere of the earth! Synthia's maneuver was made, but the barrier itself wasn't perfect yet. Synthia came into direct contact with the barrier, and it only took another moment, but at the point where Valentine's spear of Haki would collide with the sphere, it would clash against Synthia's own Busoshoku Haki. The violent clash between the two sources of Haki would release a conglomerate of elements to the world, including the lightning and flames imbued in Valentine's own spear. The indiscriminate release of power was so potent that it destroyed virtually every other source of cannon fire and only left Chardonnay capable of standing. "I've blocked the first wave Argo-kun." Synthia said with a tone of glee in her voice, "It's time for you to eat them up." At the moment she finished those words, the earthen sphere they stood inside of began to rumble once again. It morphed once more with the power of her voice and became a flat island for the pair to stand upon and fight. To the Marines that saw this spectacle, their instant reactions would have been the power of a Devil Fruit. Of course, only Synthia and Argo knew that her power was completely artificial, and no Devil Fruit principles were borrowed. The stolen power of the Siren's Harmonia and the Reptilinoids' Terra were perfect compliments to Synthia's overwhelming power. "I've heard the vibrations of your voice, Ginsaru," Argo thought to himself as he looked at Eulogio, taking out a few of his winter clothes amidst it, they fell to the deck of the ship. A single step was taken forward, he held his hands out in a grappling motion, an aura surrounded him and his eyes shone. "You never fail yourself, Syn!!" By then, the ocean had quieted, not even the combat from within the island reached anyone's ears anymore. His hair flared upwards, teeth exploded from his mouth, sharp and long, a yellow took over his expanding eyes. Should Synthia look at him, she would notice how purple substituted the tanned tone of his skin, how his neck erupted. The ship rocked beneath them and pushed the freezing waters, though, it was not that overwhelmed with the increasing weight. Out of the forming earth commanded by Synthia's power, a serpentine head came out much like it exited some kind of abyss, fully unveiled once the soil became a flat island. Breaking the silence that befell the region was the defeaning roar of this serpent, its mouth wide and shooting saliva, the very air vibrated and all images distorted, water escaped in many directions through constant waves, even the snow from behind their ship was scattered. Crimson purple, black doted hair stood at the back of the snake's scaly head, light coming off from its throat and down its neck. "IF Y'ALL THINK YOU CAN FUCK WITH US," The monsterfied Argo roared out yet again, his mouth oozing with a violet mist and his head drawn backwards. Then, his head flung forward, form distorting and breaching through a ring of air. White and blue of the sea were eviscerated by this same violet, its light overwhelmed all, "MORMORIO ATOMICO!!!" A mixture of both liquid and gas shot through the atmosphere from his widened mouth, bursting forth like flames, past the island that Synthia created and into the very ocean. The ocean boiled all around them, going from a blue hue to the purple, which swiftly went through the below of the warships. Hiss, the very water cried out, and soon would the hulls of every warship located there. Argo hadn't even breathed a lot of it, rather, with it mixing with the ocean's water, its spreading was easier. Though one could say they were susceptible to it, the Hunting Pirates' main ship was especially built to withstand any of the Five Stars' abilities. Indeed, with the power of the Hebi Hebi no Mi, Model: Hydra, Argo, as its true wielder, breathed out a very specific poison, sought on engulfing the Marines and whatever living organism was in the immediate vicinity. A cheerful smirk arose on Eulogio's face. The danger of Argo's poison, snaking through the chilly seas only served to elevate his levels of joy. No, it wasn't his joy, but his adrenaline. For the moments that the poison marinated and infused itself with the ever daunting ocean, Eulogio could only imagine an oasis of red wine. Quite the life he would've lived there. But no, this wasn't the place to think about alcohol or anything of the sort. Eulogio had retired from doing much work on terms of combat, Valentine and Chardonnay should be able to do much of the work there. Instead, he'd put himself on duty to guard the vessel, for it's destruction would leave him and his comrades from leaving the island once they'd succeeded in capturing the Hunting Pirates. If they'd succeeded. And as such, Ginsaru, Eulogio, took to ensure that Argo's poison would falter greatly in it's journey to devour the ship. A master of the Rokushiki, his power stood amongst some of the greatest to ever use the style, and he would demonstrate such skill as it was fit. Eulogio lifted his arms, swinging them around himself as if he were performing the Storm Leg, Rankyaku. However, it was more than that. Eulogio would push the wind blades out before they had any time to materialize, projecting them outwards in the form of a shell. A spherical defense that would serve to part the tainted and infested waters created by Argo and the essence of life that was untouched by the symbol of death produced by the serpentine gullet. This dome, although produced by a series of whirling winds that were intended to cut and feast upon flesh and earth alike, seemed to be completely harmless. By pushing the Rankyaku outwards, Eulogio had flawlessly succeeded in maximizing the size of the pressurized air, yet minimizing the deadly torrents that would skin any living being in an instant. By minimizing these winds of the reaper to a near microscopic level, it became unobservable to the human eye. But more importantly, it would instead shred and eradicate any molecules that held a low density or mass that attempted to pass through it's boundaries. These molecules being that of the water that Argo had tainted, and his lethal saliva as well. Unable to penetrate the semi-permeable membrane, Argo's deadly dosage no longer held any threat to the ship. While also keeping the Perfect Beast's proxy of oblivion in check, Eulogio's barrier also allowed those of a higher mass and density to phase through it without any interference. This was due to the immensely minuscule size of the wind blades as well, being so small that they posed not even the smallest of threat to the average human body. As such, Valentine and Elana could easily exit it's range if so they pleased. And Chardonnay, who had been outside of the dome's distance due to her joyride earlier, didn't have to worry about her alcohol being unable to pass through. Eulogio, in one move, had set up a simple yet effective defense that allowed his allies to do their part unhindered. This was the man that Ginsaru, the Silver Ape, was in combat. A skilled user of his craft, placing it's sanctuary over the entirety of the approaching fleet. Effectively creating a reverse sieve through Rankyaku. "BWAHAHAHA, the old man is so reliable!" Elena exclaimed, a smirk on her face. Her black hair fluttered in the wind as the winds generated by Eulogio begun to spin rapidly. It slowly disappeared from her face though, as she took on a neutral expression. Even from afar, and through the dome, it felt as if her black orbs were staring directly at the transformed Argo. It was him. It was that monster, that with one attack had caused such a ruckus. And thinking about this brought back her grin. Just a scream from Argo was enough to make various of her subordinates, quite literally, pee their pants. "There’s at least two of ‘em there. I can-, We can’t miss this chance!" she corrected herself before turning around to face the Marines. "With my signal, shoot the next round! All of you!" Her voice boomed through all of the Marines’ ships, loud and clear for the lower-ranking warriors of justice to begin loading the cannons. "Oi, Valentine! Can you send me over there?" Elena asked, tilting her head upward to signal towards the Huntings’ laid out ship. Valentine was grinning at the large beast, a formidable foe for the time being. It would be a nice treat to snack on later. "Of course Elena." He laughed grabbing her shoulder as they both instantly disappeared from view. Then above the ship the two appear, flipped upside-down. "Play nice alright!" Valentine cheered as he swung his arm downwards, tossing Elena onto the ship. "Can’t make any promises!" She responded as the man released Elena, and shot her forward like a meteor. She travelled towards the ship at a speed not unlike the cannonballs that her comrades released. From Argo and Synthia’s point of view it would appear as if a meteor shower befell upon them. As at least a dozen cannonballs and Elena made their way towards them. The cannonballs came first, travelling in a straight line as several of them aimed to break Argo and Synthia apart. It was followed by Elena’s arrival, who fell upon the man-made platform flipping around in the air, before landing feet first, without leaving even a dent behind her wake. "That’s a fun way to start off, right?!" She told herself, as she stretched her legs and arms. Curiously enough, she herself, hadn’t attacked, almost as if she was waiting for something, or someone. Chardonnay watched as the white haired woman stopped an onslaught of cannonballs with just a dome of earth, switching from riding one to hovering in the air on a swirl of alcohol to avoid crashing. And then Argo turned into a monstrous beast before her eyes and targeted the ships. "Wow! You two are a sight to see...and not too bad looking either" She floated upside down for a moment, her hair dangling down towards the sea as she did so "Are you single? Either of you. Or both! Polyamory is fun. Wait that'd be bad form as a Vice Admiral wouldn't it...crap." She shrugged and suddenly swirled outright "Well if we can't smash then the least I can do is show you a bit of my own witchcraft! Botanical Garden - World Tree: Jinmenju." She pulled a seed from a bag at her waist, resting just below her gourd, and let it drop into the waters below. It disappeared into the depths of the water, for a few seconds, only for a massive tree to erupt from the water's surface moments later. It grew large, occluding the marines from the sight of the two Hunting but also doing the same for her own men "No more cannonballs though! On the bright side, we don't have to stress old man Eulo with defending all the ships." She lounged leisurely on a tree branch, looking down at the pirate ship from on high. "Downside: forecast looks like it's calling for rain." She touched the trunk of the tree and its branches shook ominously. It's boughs quivered, rustling the strange flesh colored leaves as it did so. Flowers bloomed across the branches, showing a harrowing resemblance to the faces of laughing humans. They spat seeds from their "mouths" at the ship-turned-island. They morphed and changed as they went, turning into child-sized plants with humanoid bodies and smiling flower-faces for heads. They scampered across the ground towards Synthia and Argo, clustering around them and aiming to throw themselves onto the two pirates as a distraction. "Chardonnay, come now. Don't harass them. They came here to fight not flirt. Though I must say, they both don't look half bad at all." Valentine called to his fellow Vice-Admiral. Chuckling as he fell through the sky. Flipping as he landed atop the air itself looking down towards Argo. "What's up my many headed friend." He called out towards the beast. Grinning down from under his hat. "That poison of yours looks mighty interesting, but I've seen better. Got anything else you can do?" Valentine waved his hand around him, dark haki forming in the air around him. They twisted and warped into flickering bolts of lightning, surging with newfound power and purpose. He envisioned the shape, the crackling, the texture of the storm his comrade had called down on him so many times before. "This feels about right." He exhaled, moving his hands in a crescent pattern as the bolts of haki disappeared, raining downwards at the beast that was Argo. They left dark streaks across the sky, their speed outpacing the human eye. When they struck they would disperse, haki moving like lightning to scar and shock whatever it hit. Loud thunderclaps would boom and deafen those nearby. Stars Aligned "I see..." Lars looked down at the ground, as finally, Makibi and Talos, after much fighting, explained their motives. It had all shocked Lars greatly, even if it didn't show. The fact that Vryrch Seth, even through all this time, there were little to no news about it. That the Hunting Pirates were trying to reclaim their former glory and for that, they needed Lars. While at first, Lars wasn't enthusiastic about this, there was something, a glimmer of hope that made him agree with his previous comrades' plan. "Explains a lot." he said, boldly, as he turned to face the Hunting's ship. From afar, explosions, tremors and shockwaves could be felt, seen and heard. In such little time, the clash between Argo and Synthia as well as the Marines had grown to extreme proportions. Taking a deep breath, he grabbed both Talos and Makibi, and disappeared from sight, reaching Synthia's ship. He was quiet, and his steps could not be heard on the ship's floor as he landed. "Familiar." he said softly, amongst the destruction that was occurring. "F-F-F-Familiar?!" Unlike what Lars thought, Argo had been there, appearing in front of him while pointing with his index finger. "You got some fucking nerve to take all this time!" He barked, lips curved downwards and teeth clenched. Pointing with his thumb behind them, he continued, "These are some of our subordinates holding off the remaining Marines." Argo turned away and spoke. "So don't fucking stand there, you little shit, and let's get to driving this ship away from here!" "We don't have to deal with the Marines anymore, so let's go." Synthia grunted as she transformed the ship into a more aerodynamic shape with her powers. "We've got a lotta things to do before we can kick the Marines' asses!" The ship completely morphed, and as it moved from the sea to the skies, it rocked the integrants of it roughly. Lars himself didn't seem even slightly phased as the ship floated in the air. "My bad." he told Argo, before jumping to the railing of their vessel, where he stood with perfect balance. Placing both of his hands forward, light began to emanate from Lars' entire being, as he covered the entirety of the island, as well as the surrounding area in white. It would blind anyone that was touched by these rays, except for his comrades, who had prepared themselves from this one way or another. When the light disappeared, so had the Five Stars. With their mission accomplished, they now had their elite formation complete. Hunting season would begin soon. And their former glory brought back. Fin. Category:Role-Plays Category:DamonDraco Category:BQD Category:Ash9876 Category:GeminiVIII Category:Trick G Loki Category:GranCrux Category:Shoshiki Category:Dragon Lord Erin